Makmahi pleaded guilty to possession of prohibited ammunition and a shot gun, he also pleaded guilty to two counts of drug possession with the intent to supply, one count of dangerous driving and one count of driving while disqualified. He was put behind bars for a total of nine years and 4 months.

Mockbil, 22, mother of two, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs and was given a two year community order and 180 hours of unpaid work.

Defending the couple, Duncan Craig said there is no evidence of the gun being fired or have ever been used in any offence.

Detective Sergeant Sally Olsen, from Force CID, said: “We take all investigations involving firearms extremely seriously and anyone found in possession of a gun or any other dangerous weapon can expect to be convicted and sent to prison.”

The use of Class A drugs has a huge impact on the country’s economy and the reputation of the country. It has been estimated that drug trafficking cost the country £10.7 billion a year. Drug trafficking is a major threat and most of the Class A drug like cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, crack are available all over the UK.

It is estimated that 25-30 tons of cocaine is imported to the UK every year. £1 billion worth of Cannabis alone is smuggled in per year. 18-20 tonnes of heroin is imported annually and majority of heroin is from Afghanistan. Opium from Afghanistan is sent to Pakistan and Iran and is then sent to UK in parcels via air courier.

Most cocaine smuggled into the UK is traced back to Colombia or its neighbouring countries like Ecuador and Venezuela. As UK is one of the most profitable market in Europe different methods are used to smuggle drugs into UK. Most drugs that come to Europe is Via Spain and most of the drugs smuggled in is in Maritime containers which arrive on ports like Rotterdam and Antwerp and the spread to different parts of the country.

Once the drugs are inside the country they are then usually sent in bulk quantity to big cities like London, Birmingham, Liverpool, where it is then distributed to local dealers in small cities and towns.